Recognizing the need for a mentorship program, comes a new course from Columbus REALTORS® called Certified Real Estate Mentor (CREM) designation which centers on ensuring that knowledge, experience, and wisdom are passed down from generation to generation.

This course which has been in development for over a year teaches a REALTOR® how to be a real estate mentor.

Buffie Patterson, a REALTOR® with the CREM designation and member of the CREM program task force explained that the program prepares experienced real estate professionals to identify where and how they can assist others (mentees) in the fulfillment of their career-related goals and aspirations. “The program focuses on understanding behaviors and motivations, identifying strengths and opportunity areas, and developing structure and plans to enhance business success,” Patterson said.

Sean Carpenter, instructor for the course and a nationally recognized professional speaker who holds the CREM designation, said the foundation for developing this program was to offer relevant content for individuals who want to both “pay it forward” and help “raise the bar” in the real estate industry. “I think Columbus REALTORS® President Mic Gordon saw the need for a “roadmap” that could be created for current members and leaders of the real estate industry to assist future generations of REALTORS®,” Carpenter said.

Louise Potter, a REALTOR® with the CREM designation and CREM Task Force member, also agreed the CREM course is critical in raising the bar in real estate and said this program has been needed for a long time. “Only through initiatives like CREM can we begin to make a difference across the board,” Potter said. “This program can help assure a basic competency.”

The CREM program is important because mentors are an invaluable resource, said Patterson.

“The real estate profession is one where the people we work with on a daily basis — the public, our clients, other REALTORS®, lenders, title companies, etc. — rely on us to be knowledgeable, credible, and professional,” Patterson said. “Mentors observe, question, listen, assess, and then share, suggest, and guide their protégés to points of discovery, learning, and growth.”

Even though all licensed REALTORS® have been through some training in order to earn their license, so much learning and growth happens ‘on the job,’ Carpenter reflected. “This course will help people better understand the power a mentor can have as well as learn how to more effectively help the future leaders of our industry,” Carpenter said.

Potter stressed that CREM is vitally important as it is a way to help raise the professionalism and productivity of one’s associates. “This starts at the root of a person’s career — a strong, trained mentor to give new agents a solid foundation to build a sustainable business,” Potter said. “It is for brokerages large and small, team leaders — anyone in a position or with a willingness to help.”

Carpenter said that while there are many different ways to be successful, having someone who has the competence and confidence to be a guide along the way can only help to increase the trust and success that our members will achieve in the future.

“As a mentor and as a mentee — one of my mentors always said, ‘Each one of us represents all of us’ and in this industry, that is so true,” Carpenter said.

Potter explained this isn’t a program for just anyone but it is a program that can benefit everyone.

“CREM is beneficial for all types of brokerages, from those with a formal training program to smaller teams looking to improve,” Potter said. “It provides a consistent platform and a high level of insight into the behaviors and levels of learning that mentors need in order to help mentees attain the highest levels of knowledge, service and skill.”

Patterson emphasized that anyone interested in continued growth with respect to their real estate career should consider the program. “For mentors, your craft is perfected as you teach others. For mentees, you will have a more concrete understanding of self and the things that drive you,” Patterson said. “You will learn, not only from the program, but from the interactions and the insights from working with your mentor or mentee(s). Whether you are still actively pursuing business growth, or looking for a way to give back to the profession, the program will be fulfilling. You will walk away with a better understanding of yourself, you will build what will likely be life-long relationships, and you will personally have helped to move the real estate profession forward.”

As someone who helped create the curriculum and concepts for the program, Carpenter said he’s eager to see its results. “I look forward to seeing the results of future mentors and the impact the designation will have on our industry and the home owners of central Ohio for years to come,” Carpenter said.

Several of the task force members earned the CREM by sitting through a full test version of the program. The first public offering of the CREM course on Nov. 28-29, 2017 is already sold out (and has a waiting list). But we hope to offer this again early next year. If you have an interest in the next offering, please contact Lucy Buzzee.